The Approaching Winds Of Change
by Totidem Verbis
Summary: When Asuga agreed to help Keiko out by letting one of Yusuke's friends stay in her home, she didn't really think that anything would change. Just this once, she was okay with being wrong.


**Author's Note:** For my story _An Inferno That Burns To The Bone_ , I decided to give a little prize to whoever left the 150th review. (I meant to do it for the 100th review but forgot.) The 150th reviewer was **backoff22** , and she wanted a Jin one-shot. Which I was more than happy to write; I'm sorry that it took so long for me to write this, and I hope you enjoy it!

Also, thank you to **SakiHanajima1** for putting up with my rambling while I write and to **yyhfanfiction** on tumblr for looking this over for me!

 **Word Count:** 3370

* * *

"Jin! Dinner is almost ready!" Hands were cupped around her mouth as she yelled up into the sky, and golden brown eyes peered up at the small speck she could see against the darkening blue of the sky from behind red-rimmed glasses.

"Be righ' down, lass!" Short brown hair whipped around her pale face as the words reached her, and she smiled before turning on her heel to walk back into the house.

 **Four Months Earlier**

"Kobayashi! Don't take a long lunch today! We still have a lot of work to do!"

"I won't be gone long!" Asuga Kobayashi promised her boss before hurrying out of the library. She was normally perfectly content with eating her packed lunch behind the library, there was a nice picnic table under the shade of some trees, but she'd actually made lunch plans for the day.

She wasn't going to rush through her lunch either, because she knew there wasn't much left for her to do. Her boss just wanted her to do her usual duties as well as the work he usually neglected, but she'd already been balancing both sets of responsibilities since right after she first started working at the library a year ago. So, really, there was no reason for her to rush through lunch. She did, however, rush towards the café when she'd promised to meet her friend. The café itself was within walking distance from the library, but there were plenty of people walking around outside and enjoying the emergence of the warm weather after months of cold. She didn't blame them. She was more than happy to walk outside without feeling like she was turning into an ice sculpture.

"Oh, Asuga! Over here!" Her sandaled feet slid against the sidewalk, and she saw an arm waving in the air. She waved back and then started weaving between the other customers sitting at the outside tables, and she fell into the chair across from her friend with a relieved sigh.

"Keiko! You didn't have to wait long, did you?" The other brunette shook her head with a wide smile, and Asuga relaxed back into her chair.

"I haven't even ordered yet. Speaking of." Keiko trailed off and looked over Asuga's head, and she turned around just enough to see a waitress headed their way.

Asuga let Keiko order first, and she smiled politely up at the waitress as she gave her simple order. The waitress walked off after promising to return with their orders soon, and Asuga turned back to face Keiko. Their conversation flowed smoothly from there, as they caught each other up on what they'd been up to since graduating university. They'd been friends since they were children, not best friends when they were younger but they'd spent plenty of time in each other's presence after being in the same classes for years, and they'd gotten closer after high school. They'd attended the same university, had even been roommates for a time, and it was an easy friendship.

Keiko was a teacher now, at their old high school, and Asuga knew that she already had plenty of practice with keeping students in line. Even when she was a student herself, Keiko had been particularly skilled at wrangling others and making sure they did what they were supposed to. (Asuga didn't think of anyone in particular that applied to. Honestly.) Their lunch arrived while they were still catching up, and they managed to keep the conversation going in between bites. The two of them shared a few laughs over some of the students' antics, and Asuga told a story or two about some of the more colorful people that wandered into the library.

"And how are things with Yusuke?" Asuga asked after their food was nearly gone. She eyed the golden ring on Keiko's finger, and she remembered watching Yusuke slip the ring onto her finger only two weeks after Keiko graduated from the university. (She also remembered the way Yusuke's hands had shook and how Keiko had cried just a little as they said their vows, and she most definitely remembered some of the more unusual guests at the small wedding.)

"Oh, you know Yusuke," Keiko said and waved a hand in the air. The sunlight caught on the golden band, and Asuga hid her smile behind her cup before taking a quick sip.

A lot of people back in school had been afraid of Yusuke Urameshi; they had avoided meeting his eyes, and some had even crossed hallways and streets to keep out of his line of sight. Asuga had seen him fight more than a few times before his near-death experience, but she'd never really been afraid of him. Because he'd been Keiko's best friend, and Asuga had known that there had to be more than met the eye if Keiko had been so close to him. Then he'd nearly died and disappeared shortly after, and Asuga had been surprised when he reappeared after high school. Keiko had been noticeably happier with him back though, so Asuga hadn't questioned it.

Then demons became a real thing. Not metaphorical demons, but beings of another species from another world. The Human World had been in shock to start with, Asuga remembered a lot of people yelling every time she bothered to turn the news on, but she'd gotten over her own shock pretty quickly. The stories her grandmother used to tell her finally made sense, and she'd always thought that there were other beings in the universe. (She'd been ten, looking up at the stars and thinking of aliens at the time, but demons weren't that much different when it came to the concept of otherness.) By the time Keiko confessed that her fiancé was half-demon, Asuga took it in stride. It had even helped explain a few things. Keiko had lost some friends when the news became public, but Asuga had stuck by her (and Yusuke by extension).

"Still driving you crazy then?" Keiko's cheeks flushed as she laughed, and Asuga liked seeing her friend look so carefree. It'd been a few years since demons started to cross over into the Human World, and things were finally starting to settle down between all of the different species. Which was great, because the goat demon who came to the library on Wednesday afternoons to read to the kids was the kindest being she'd ever met and didn't deserve to be hated just because she had some extra ears and horns.

"That's actually why I asked you to lunch today," Keiko confessed in a whisper. Asuga felt her brows rising in confusion, and Keiko's eyes widened as she hurried to explain a little more. "I also just really missed seeing you! It's just, I have a really big favor to ask of you."

"The last time you said that to me, it was to tell me that we had two weeks to plan your wedding," Asuga reminded her. It'd been a hectic two weeks, but they'd pulled it off in the end. Barely. The open bar had been a big hit.

"That turned out pretty well." Keiko's smile was fond, and Asuga propped her elbow on the table so she could cradle her cheek in her palm.

"You know I'll help you if I can. What do you need?" Asuga asked before Keiko could get lost down memory lane.

Currently, Asuga's life was going pretty well. She had a job that she enjoyed, she was living in her grandmother's house on the outskirts of the city, and she didn't have any complaints. She didn't have many friends and her last relationship had ended six months previously, but she didn't feel lonely. The quiet was soothing, she'd always preferred being off on her own, so she didn't have anything complicated in her life at the moment. She didn't think that Keiko would ask something too difficult of her, and she knew that her friend would graciously accept her refusal if it was something that Asuga didn't want to do.

"You've heard about the Demon Integration Act?" Keiko started. Asuga nodded, because the whole world had heard about the Act. All of the world's different governments were trying to help the demons that had crossed over integrate into human society, and it'd been going pretty well so far. There hadn't been any major incidents anyway. "Yusuke and I are housing some of his friends while they get settled, but we're starting to run out of room."

"You're not asking if I know of any available living spaces, are you?" When Keiko slowly shook her head, Asuga wasn't surprised. Part of the Demon Integration Act asked for humans to "house" demons and to teach them about the Human World. It could be done privately or through services, and Asuga thought it was a good idea. Especially the housing assignments that were regulated and documented, to make sure that no one was mistreated. Humans and demons alike. She hadn't signed up with a service though because she wasn't really sure what she could teach anyone.

"Only one of his friends, I promise!" Keiko said quickly as Asuga started to think it over. She could remember some of Yusuke's friends from the wedding, and she didn't remember any of them looking particularly menacing or evil. (Well, except for the one wearing all black with spiky black hair. His face had seemed set in a perpetual glare that had been a little terrifying.)

"Which friend?" Asuga still wasn't sure if she was going to say yes, but she was leaning that way as Keiko's face immediately brightened.

"His name is Jin, he's a wind demon so I thought he'd like all of the open space around your home, and he's a really nice guy! Maybe you remember him from the wedding? Sort of tall, bright red hair, seemed to fly more than he walked?" Keiko quickly listed off.

"He does sound sort of familiar." After rushing to set everything up in a couple of weeks, Asuga had been a little exhausted during the wedding and the reception. She thought she remembered seeing a redhead flying over everyone else's heads though.

"He'll be a perfect gentleman, and he's really funny too! I think you'll like him." Keiko's eyes were wide and hopeful, and Asuga felt what little bit of resolve she still had crumble.

"Bring him over tonight then," Asuga sighed and then smiled. Keiko clapped before starting to profusely thank her, and Asuga tried to wave off the thanks while laughing at her friend's overly enthusiastic rambling.

 **Present Time**

It'd been four months since Keiko and Yusuke had shown up at Asuga's front door with Jin hovering in the air behind them, and Asuga's few apprehensions had completely disappeared after getting to know the wind demon. Sometimes it took her a moment to understand what he was saying, but Keiko had been right when she said that he was funny. Even after a day at work that left her drained and exhausted, Jin could make her laugh until tears leaked out of her eyes. He was also a very helpful roommate; he could be a little forgetful at times, but he never purposefully skipped out on cleaning up. Sometimes he just needed a little reminder.

So, over their four months of sharing a roof, they'd developed a bit of a routine. To Asuga's surprise, it didn't deviate much from her routine before Jin showed up. She still got up every morning and got ready for work, still spent her days inside the library, and came home at night to make dinner. Jin usually woke up when he heard her moving around, he was a light sleeper that could fall asleep practically anywhere, and Asuga was convinced that he napped as he floated along behind her while walking her to work. She knew that he did different things during the day. Sometimes he visited his other demon friends wherever they currently were, and some days he stopped by the city's fire station. (He'd put out a few fires while flying aimlessly around the city, and the fire station had hired him after the fourth stopped fire.)

Her nights were a little different now though. Before Jin, she'd spent her nights in solitude. Usually curled up somewhere as she read a book or doodled. Now, she spent her nights with Jin. Sometimes he'd pick her up to secure her on his back and take them flying out over the forest next to her house, and sometimes they'd just sit on the couch together so that she could explain TV shows and movies to him. Asuga had originally been worried that she'd become annoyed at always having someone around after having her own space for so long, but Jin always seemed to sense when she needed a quiet night. Just like he could tell when she needed to step outside of her own head.

Like tonight.

"Aw, come on then, Asuga! When ya spend too much time in the indoors, ya forget how the wind feels! Jus' for a mo', a lil' bit o' fresh air, an' then we can turn on the telly! Don't turn ol' Jin down now, lass."

Asuga propped her hands on her hips as she turned away from the sink, because the dinner dishes were washed now and set out to dry, and Jin hovered down lower so that they were on the same eye-level. She tried to hold her stern expression as his bright blue eyes widened, but she could never seem to get mad at him. Or even mildly upset. So instead of arguing for them to keep their current plans, which was to watch some reality show that Jin was actually obsessed with, she crossed her arms and huffed quietly.

"Only for a few minutes! And I'm changing first!" Jin cheered and threw his arms in the air as he spun in a circle, and Asuga worried that her eye roll was a little fond as she turned to walk off.

It didn't take her long to change out of her work clothes, and she went ahead and put on her pajamas. Just a pair of gray leggings and a loose white tee shirt, and she kept her feet bare. Jin had regularly seen her first thing in the morning, with her hair tangled on top of her head in a poor imitation of a bird's nest and with dried drool on her chin, so seeing her in her pajamas wouldn't phase him. She always seemed to be in her pajamas at home anyway. She slipped her glasses off since she would be flying in the air and not squinting down at a book, and she spun on her heel to walk out of the room after placing the glasses on her dresser. It didn't take long for her to walk through the house, and she stopped on her front porch as she caught sight of Jin standing in the front yard.

"Can't ya feel the wind, lil' lass?" Jin asked without looking over his shoulder. As he spoke, the air around Asuga shifted into a small breeze and tossed her short hair around her face. Jin was facing forward with his back to her, but she knew that the impromptu breeze had been the demon's doing.

"Are we flying tonight?" she asked as she started down the steps. The grass felt cool against her bare feet, but there were still traces of heat in the air.

"Don't ya go worryin' your pretty lil' head, we won't be flyin' too far!" Jin called over his shoulder.

The only thing that had taken Asuga time to get used to was the way Jin dressed. More specifically, his lack of dressing. Tonight he was only wearing a loose pair of white pants, and he tended to grumble under his breath whenever he was told that he had to wear a full shirt and shoes for their trips into town. (It wasn't like she could take him grocery shopping while he was half naked! The older woman who worked as the cashier would probably have a heart attack.) She was a little more used to seeing so much of his skin now, even though it was still a bit of a distraction.

When Asuga was within grabbing distance, Jin smoothly turned around and swept her into his arms. It wasn't the first time he'd done it, it wasn't even difficult for him to do since she was nearly a foot shorter than him, but Asuga still protested as she was swung up into the air. Her weak protests were drowned out under the sound of Jin's laughter, because he could clearly see the smile on her face as she demanded to be set down or at least held properly. When Jin took them flying, he placed her on his back and was careful not to move too fast. Right now, his arms were locked around her waist and their fronts were pressed together as he spun in circles in midair.

"What are you up to?" Asuga asked as Jin slowly came to a stop. They were several feet in the air, hovering above the top of the house, but Jin still had his arms locked behind her back.

"You trust me, don't ya, Asuga?" His eyes managed to still look bright in the darkness, and Asuga slowly moved her arms up so that she could wind them around Jin's shoulders. She laced her fingers together behind his neck, felt the ends of his hair tickling across the back of her hands, and smiled up at him.

"Of course I do, Jin," she answered honestly. Just as Keiko had promised, Jin was a gentleman and an all-around good guy. He was always careful to make sure that he didn't make her uncomfortable, asked questions when he didn't understand something or wanted to keep from doing something inappropriate, and Asuga had realized about two months into the arrangement that coming home to see him was the best part of her day.

Jin let her slip down his body until her feet were braced against the top of his, but he kept a tight grip around her waist so that she wouldn't worry about falling. Her hands were still clasped behind his neck, and she felt perfectly safe. She'd been out flying with Jin enough to know that he wouldn't drop her or let her get hurt, so it was easy to relax as he started to move them through the air. Instead of flying over the trees like he normally did though, he started to move them in twisting lines over the front yard. It wasn't until he started humming quietly under his breath that she realized they were dancing though.

"Ah, ah, ah. I can see that big ol' brain o' yours tickin' away, but there's no need o' that tonight. It's jus' you an' me, jus' Jin an' Asuga. Save all that smart thinkin' for colder winds." Jin's words were whispered against the top of her head, into her hair as the wind stirred it, and she leaned forward to drop her cheek onto his chest.

Asuga thought she knew what he was trying to tell her. There was a pull between them, something that kept them together, because Jin could have moved out already if he wanted to. He made friends easily, he'd even had offers from people at the fire station, but he stayed with Asuga. So there was something between them that they hadn't addressed, but they didn't have to have that talk tonight. Because there would be other nights for them to talk things out, to figure things out, and Asuga was content to exist in this moment.

The ground and house below them was just a blur as Jin moved them through the air while humming a song, and she could feel the vibrations in his chest as she nuzzled her cheek against his bare skin. The stars were bright above them, but Asuga closed her eyes so that she could only focus on Jin. The heat of his skin, the low hum of his voice, the feel of his wind wrapping around them…For tonight, it was just Jin and Asuga.

* * *

 **Ending Note:** I know this was short, but I had a lot of fun writing it! If there's any interest, I might expand it into a multi-chaptered story one day. (Assuming I ever finish my current stories, of course.) Thank you for reading!


End file.
